Jan 16 2020 — The Canadian Press — Senators on Capitol Hill have finally approved the latest version of North America’s free trade pact. The implementation bill for the long-awaited U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement passed on a vote of 89-10. That means it now needs only the signature of President Donald Trump to be fully approved in the United States. Canada itself has yet to […]
Jan 15 2020 — On 11 December 2019, the term of two of the remaining three members of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Appellate Body (AB), Mr. Ujal Singh Bhatia (India) and Mr. Thomas R. Graham (US) came to an end. With only one member left, the AB can no longer meet the 3-member quorum required to review appeals. […]
Jan 15 2020 — The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the rules-based trading system face an existential threat from the Donald J. Trump administration’s blockade on appointments to the WTO’s top court—the Appellate Body. As of December 2019, the Appellate Body had too few members to decide cases, leaving pending appeals in limbo and threatening to turn every future […]
Jan 14 2020 — The Canadian Press — Canada’s hard-won continental trade deal with the United States and Mexico could be up for a vote in the U.S. Senate before the end of the week, thanks to the emerging timelines for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Republicans controlling the Senate say they expect the implementation bill for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to […]
Dec 16 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Efforts to reform the WTO will continue. Ottawa-The World Trade Organization has suffered a grievous blow but it’s a long way from being dead and efforts to reform it may yet bear fruit, says Valerie Hughes, a former WTO and senior Canadian government official. The United States has effectively shut down the WTO’s Appellate […]
Dec 5 2019 — CTV News — Following a frosty couple days, U.S. President Donald Trump has once again hinted at a possible trade spat with Canada and other NATO countries that he believes aren’t “putting up their money” on defence spending. Trump spoke in Washington, D.C. on Thursday in front of representatives ofthe United Nations Security Council and said he had […]
Apr 29 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Chamber offers several suggestions for overcoming European protectionism. Ottawa—The federal government has to make better use of dispute mechanisms in the free trade deal with the European Union to tackle protectionist measures that are hindering agrifood exports to Europe, says the Canadian Chamber of Commerce The 18-month-old trade deal removed most tariffs but that […]
Apr 2 2019 — Politico — Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated on Tuesday the House will not consider President Donald Trump’s new North American trade pact until after Mexico has passed and implemented its major labor law reforms. In an interview with POLITICO Playbook, the California Democrat explained that Mexico must pass labor law reforms required under the replacement deal for NAFTA […]
Mar 8 2019 — Martin Cash — Winnipeg Free Press — With a federal election on the horizon, cabinet ministers are likely to be spotted around these parts more often than usual. To have them on the road during the current controversy in Ottawa over whether or not the Prime Minister’s Office exerted inappropriate pressure on the former-attorney general regarding the prosecution of a large Quebec […]
Jan 22 2019 — Associated Press — The Chinese government has granted Ivanka Trump’s company preliminary approval for another five trademarks this month, as her father’s administration pushes ahead on trade negotiations with China.
Nov 21 2018 — The Canadian Press — A group of U.S. senators is pushing President Donald Trump to fast-track the final text of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement so Congress can vote on it before the end of the year. The 12 Republican senators, including Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander and outgoing Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, warn that getting the trade […]
Oct 29 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Biggest of WTO’s many problems is in its Appellate Body. OTTAWA–Ministers and senior officials from Canada and 12 other countries found enough common ground for reforming the World Trade Organization during two days of talks in Ottawa in late October to continue the discussions in January. However they concluded their first meeting with a […]
Oct 21 2018 — Andrew McDougall — The Conversation — Now that the threat of the NAFTA-pocalypse has lifted for Canada, the Monday morning quarter-backing is well under way on whether the new United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Agreement is better or worse than trade pact that preceded it. But beyond the negative headlines, the USMCA probably leaves Canada stronger than it was going into the negotiations […]
Sep 25 2018 — Daniel Dale — Toronto Star — The Trump administration will continue trade negotiations with Canada even if there is no deal by the U.S.-imposed deadline of this weekend, President Donald Trump’s top trade official said Tuesday. In a largely pessimistic public appearance, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Canada is “running out of time” to sign on to a trade deal […]
Sep 25 2018 — The Hill — U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Tuesday cast doubt on the prospects of the U.S. and Mexico reaching a deal with Canada on an updated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by the Sunday deadline. “The fact is, Canada is not making concessions in areas where we think they’re essential,” Lighthizer told the Concordia Summit […]